Zanzibar!

Ryan and I just returned from an amazing tropical vacation on the island of Zanzibar! (just off the coast of Tanzania). We had such a fun and relaxing time.

We spent some time hiking through the Jozani Forest, the only national park on the island. At one point, our guide directed us off the trail to stand under a dense set of trees with low branches. Upon looking up, we saw two big 'Mom & Dad' monkeys way up at the top. Then I sudddenly ducked, covered my head and scampered away a bit as 'da childrens' jumped and slid down the trees! Little monkeys were everywhere! They were so playful and curious. They reached out and touched our camera, tasted Ryan's finger, and flung themselves from branch to branch right above our heads!

After enjoying several mintues with the monkey family, we visited a small pond with several sea turtles! We fed them some wilty lettuce, and even got to hold one!

True to African excitement, we encountered some moments which are not so fun to experience, but later make good stories. : ) On our first evening in Zanzibar, we ventured out to the seaside garden where there is a lively outdoor food market. A smile lighted up Ryan's face as he saw an array of seafood out on the tables. He excitedly picked out octopus, calamari, and a few other items that were then grilled and piled high on a thin paper plate. He enjoyed his seafood meal, happy to have purchased so much food for the small price of $5. A few hours later however, his stomach began to protest. It was quite scary for me to see him in so much pain and be alone on a island where we didn't know anyone or know how to get medical help. Ryan proceeded to spend the next couple of hours ridding his body of the apparently spoiled food though, and he felt much better the following morning. : )

For the first couple of days on the island, we stayed on the south eastern coast in Bwejuu. Since we were in Zanzibar during their off-season, nearly everything in Bwejuu (a quieter part of the island anyway) was closed! We had reserved a room in a small guest house on the beach. On this side of the island, the water is only ankle-deep for a couple of miles! The guidebook describes it as an area where 'there is not much to do but listen to the wind rustle the palm tree branches'. There were only 2 accesible restaurants open - one was a 1 mile walk down the beach, and the other was a 1.5 mile walk down the beach. One night as we were walking, we heard a fierce barking in the distance. It quickly grew louder and from behind us we turn to see 2 large dogs barreling down the beach snarling and heading toward us! Ryan pulled me behind him and bravely kicked the first dog directly in his side sending him yelping away. He geared up for the second one and kicked him hard in the stomach too. Both dogs then crept back in into the dark forest from where they had come. Whew! I had been screaming so loudly, but no one was around to hear. God protected us as we had to walk that desolate stretch of beach a few more times.

The beaches of Kendwa, on the north western side of the island contained the most amazing clear blue-green water and white-sand that we had ever seen! The water was warm, and we enjoyed swimming, snorkling, and taking a sunset cruise on a dhow. We stayed in a beach bunglow right on the sand, and loved eating at the restaurant overlooking the ocean.

We are so thankful to have had such a wonderful vacation! We are healing well from our boda-accident wounds and are rejuvinated for the remaining 5 weeks we have here in Uganda!